Durga as Mahishasuramardini (slayer of the demon Mahisha)
9th–early 10th century A.D.
Object PlaceCentral Java, Indonesia
Medium/TechniqueAndesite
Dimensions109 x 44.5 cm (42 15/16 x 17 1/2 in.)
Credit LineDenman Waldo Ross Collection
Accession number17.1014
On View
On viewClassificationsSculpture
Collections
In Hinduism, goddesses are often enlisted to fight the most grueling of battles. The image celebrates the victory of the goddess Durga over a particularly powerful demon, named Mahisha. The demon hid in the body of a water buffalo, but was forced to emerge when Durga killed the animal with a blow to the neck. Here, Durga strikes the demon in the head with one of her many weapons.
ProvenanceBy 1913, with Denman Waldo Ross (b. 1853 - d. 1935), Cambridge, MA; September 30, 1913, lent to the MFA by Denman Waldo Ross; 1917, gift of Denman Waldo Ross to the MFA. (Accession Date: February 15, 1917)9th century A.D.
9th century
9th century
about 9th century A.D.
about 13th century
about 13th century
about 14th century
about 9th–19th century
about 14th century
about A.D. 800
Late 9th–early 10th century A.D.